Jose Mourinho is facing a battle to prove he has not singled out the wrong players following Chelsea's disastrous start to the season.
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The manager left Oscar, Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao in -England for Chelsea's Champions League defeat against Porto, while John Terry, the captain, remained on the substitutes' bench.
However, to the disbelief of many people inside and outside Chelsea, Branislav Ivanovic is yet to pay the price for his dreadful form.
Terry was the only unused -substitute to go back on to the pitch to warm down after the Porto game in what could be seen as a message to Mourinho. The Chelsea fans who had been kept behind inside the -Estadio do Dragao chanted "we want our captain back".
The decisions over Oscar, Remy and Terry, coupled with the fact that Ivanovic kept his place at right-back despite his poor performances and the growing belief that his -focus has been affected by -unresolved contract negotiations, shocked the Chelsea squad.
Most of the stunned players found out that Oscar, Remy and Falcao were being left behind only hours before they flew to Porto on Monday afternoon.
With Chelsea 14th in the Premier League and now third in Group G of the Champions League, Mourinho's actions are facing increased scrutiny. He insisted that his team selection for Tuesday night was not a form of punishment for Oscar, Remy or on-loan Falcao, and the Portuguese has consistently -refused to criticise publicly individuals this season.
However, having seen Mourinho complain about the "unstable attitudes" of some unnamed players, the view from inside the camp is that Oscar and Remy paid the price for the first-half display against Newcastle United last weekend, which Mourinho rated as "-minus one". It is believed that the decision to leave Falcao behind and drop Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic to the substitutes' bench had more to do with resting players and the trio are expected to return to face Southampton on Satur-day, with -Diego Costa suspended.
Oscar and Remy are becoming increasingly resigned to the fact that they face uncertain futures at Chelsea while Mourinho is in charge. Both players were open to the possibility of leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer, but neither Oscar nor Remy pushed the issue with Mourinho or the club.
Oscar would have joined -Juventus had Chelsea agreed to sell to the Italian club. Remy was interested in the prospect of -remaining in London with West Ham United or Crystal Palace, or returning to France. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will be able to -recruit the players that would allow Oscar and Remy to move in the -January transfer window, but the pair are not optimistic that they will remain at the club beyond next summer.
Mourinho's reservations over -Oscar have confused some of the Brazilian's team-mates, who believe the 24-year-old is vital to the side playing cohesively.
The situation regarding Ivanovic is even more puzzling, with the -defender's future uncertain, even though Mourinho keeps picking him. It is not viewed as a coincidence that the form of 31-year-old dipped last season just as stories started to appear that he was -unhappy with the prospect of being a offered only a one-year contract extension. He was subsequently linked with Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich, but Chelsea called the defender's bluff by refusing to be panicked into accepting his -demands and allowed the Serb to start this season with only 12 months remaining on his deal.
His negotiating position has now been severely weakened by his poor performances. He has offered little evidence on the pitch that he is worthy of a long-term contract. It is hard to fathom why he was made vice-captain for the season and continues to be picked while others are left at home and Terry is dropped.
Unlike Ivanovic, Terry is philosophical over his contract situation having been made to wait until May and March to secure extensions for the past two years. The 34-year-old is far more focused on trying to win his place back and prove to -Mourinho he is still the man for the big occasion.
With Terry on the bench and the likes of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech now gone, Chelsea once again lacked leadership in Porto. There are no longer authoritative voices in several key positions. Terry -applauded the Chelsea fans as they sang his name during his solitary post-match warmdown. It remains to be seen whether or not Mourinho takes any notice.